Vanilla Almond Granola
Calling all Toms wearing, yoga loving, health conscious urban hippies. Take one step forward if you love granola? Since I'm a Toms wearing, yoga loving, health conscious urban hippy, count me in. With that said, I have not always loved granola. Most of the store bought stuff I find, well, nasty. It wasn't until I started to make my own that the world of granola started to open up.
Actually.. my love for granola started at the same time as my love for yoga was formed. It was January 2002 when I spent a month at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island Bahamas. I was 18 years old, just home from Florence, Italy where I lived for 6 months studying cooking, photography and fashion. I had never really practiced yoga before I decided to leap head first into a month long program (I tend to do things to the extreme. Have you noticed?) Anyway... I was living in a tent on the beach at the ashram, waking up at 5am taking asana and pranayama classes, chanting and getting to know the yogi culture. It was a lot for an 18 year old to take on but it ignited my love for yoga & meditation. And 10 years later, it is still a huge part of my life. While at the ashram, everyone is given a "karma yoga" which is a kind of community service within the ashram. Mine was kitchen duty. Every morning we made a huge batch of granola. Each day we made a different combination which I thought was super fun! So... long story longer... my love for yoga & granola was born.
OK.. on to the recipe at hand. This recipe is avery good base for adding, cranberries, coconut, currents, walnuts, seeds of all varieties... etc. Use your imagination or just whats handy.
Vanilla Almond Granola:
3c rolled oats
1/3c honey or agave
2Tbps vanilla extract
Big handful raw unsalted almonds - chopped
2 tbsp light brown sugar
2tbsp canola oil
1tbsp cinnamon
1/2tsp salt
1. Pre-heat the oven to 325.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together.
3. Lay mix onto a baking sheet and place in the oven.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the granola is golden brown. Mix occasionally to ensure the edges of the mix do not burn.
5. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and place in an air tight container for up to 3 weeks.
